The explosion happened about 2 a.m. CST (3 a.m. EST) near Highways 551 and 71 in Knifley. Two people were injured as a result of the explosion. Both have been treated and released from an area hospital.

According to a press release from Columbia Pipeline Group, operating teams from Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC detected a drop in pressure on the company's Line 200 pipeline in Adair County around 2:05 a.m. CST Thursday. Crews immediately responded to the alert and determined there was a rupture in the pipeline.

The release states that "trained response teams are working with emergency responders now to assure the safety and security of the area where the rupture occurred." The company does not yet know the cause of the explosion, but it is working with authorities to conduct a thorough investigation."

The houses that caught fire are near one another, but they are not next door to one another.

"A critical and immediate priority for our team is to work with local responders and to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors," the Columbia Pipeline Group's news release states.

Multiple fire departments and other emergency responders were called out to the scene.